A Listian Adventure
by Libby Sarah
Summary: Libby Sarah wishes to meet all of the Labyrinth Listians...oops! Adventures ensue and humor is shared!
1. Introduction

~A Listian Adventure~ by: Libby Sarah I got the idea for "ALA" from Alexa Close's excellent story, "Listians in the Labyrinth" (click on the link to read it!) Which means it's tons better than mine. That's not to say I totally copied the concept; there are other Listian-related fics out there. Just that I especially liked her version of what would happen should said Listians encounter Jareth. This fanfic is about the Labyrinth Discussion List, circa 2001. It features many members from the List, myself included :) However, due to my horrific procrastination, I'm only posting the fic now.I wrote it about 2 years ago. Which means there will be a lot of nostalgia of days gone by. In fact, some of the people mentioned in my fic may not even be on the List anymore :( Everyone gave me permission to use the details they provided. Although, I might have misunderstood them, and gotten the details wrong. If so, I apologize. (I didn't get permission from Anakerie, but I felt we needed a veteran from the List in the fic. For her description, I went off of an old picture she has on her site. Sorry, Ana!) And as far as scenery in the story, I've never been outside the USA, so please forgive me if I described something wrong. Anyway, as a final note, I'd like to dedicate this to my friends, the Labyrinth Listians. You guys "took me in" and made me your friend. Thank you, guys! So sit back and enjoy! 


	2. Chapter One What Have I Done?

**Chapter One—What Have I Done?**

**It began with an e-mail.**

**I'd read twenty or so messages from my fellow Labyrinth Listians. They were my friends. People who shared my interest in my favorite movie; the characters and the magic.**

**Raven wrote two more "What If's"; she was famous for them. The Biting Faery—Stephanie—told us of a play she was going to be in; we were all proud of her. ****Guinevere and her horse, Peaches, welcomed a newbie to the List.**

**All was well.**

**All until I had to mess it up, that is.**

**_I'm delurking for a while_****, my post read, _even though I'm not technically a lurker. I'm just way behind on my e-mails. This is just a message to reassure you all that I'm alive and well._**

**I wrote my name, Libby Sarah, at the end and sat back. Rereading my message, I grinned.**

**_I wish I could meet all the Lisitans._**

**A sharp breeze rushed in through the open window of the computer room, and right away, I knew something was wrong. My eyes flashed to the screen. In an instant, the Send button clicked; my message sent. An all-too familiar laugh floated toward me.**

**"Libby, darling, didn't your mother ever tell you to be careful what you wished for?"**

**I jumped out of the large, tan chair and whipped around. My long, brown hair whirled around and brushed my shoulders. I liked that, normally, as it added affect, but now I was at strict attention.**

**The Goblin King was his usually glam, glittery self. He wore a black poet's shirt, tights, boots, and flowing cape. Typical Jareth.**

**What wasn't typical, however, was the swift gesture toward me, the capture of my hand in his, and the gentle tug to bring me out of the room.**

**"What was that for?" I asked, surprised.**

**"It's so crowded in there. I thought I'd give us more…vast surroundings…"**

**Only then did I notice he'd brought me to a desert-like plain.**

**"Why did you do that?" I demanded. "Why did _you_ send my e-mail?"**

**"Well, dear girl, were you not about to do just the same?" Jareth gave me that smug smile of his; I narrowed my eyes.**

**"Yes, but when you're involved in something, there's always a catch."**

**"You call fulfilling a wish a 'catch'?" he inquired, mock-pain in his voice.**

**"What did you _do_?" I groaned.**

**"Just what I said." The King's tone took on that of annoyance, but he still smiled. "You wished to meet the Labyrinth Listians. And it shall be so."**

**With that, he was gone.**

**Leaving me to wonder what exactly I'd gotten myself—and the Labyrinth List—into.**

Back  Chapter Two Home 


	3. Chapter Two Getting To Know You

Chapter Two—Getting To Know You

**I didn't have time enough to wonder.**

**A throat cleared.**

**Turning around ever so slowly, I saw a girl my age with maroon hair, wearing a green top and purple skirt, and on her back…wings???**

**"Stephanie?" I ventured.**

**"AKA The Biting Faery." She did not seem pleased. "I got your message."**

**"Already?" I winced. "That was fast."**

**"Hon, don't you know by now that the words 'I wish' have a dangerous power when Jareth is around?"**

**"I'm sorry." A long sigh escaped me. "I just really wanted to meet you guys. But it's not likely to happen any time soon. We live all over the world, and not all of us can make it to the Labyrinth of Jareth Ball."**

**"Aw, it's okay."**

**The Biting Faery and I turned to find a girl with surreal blue eyes, wearing a blue sundress to compliment them, approaching us.**

**"You are?" Stephanie queried.**

**"My name's Tawnya."**

**"Tawnya!" I greeted happily, hugging my fellow Listian.**

**"I wouldn't get too chummy." A second voice next to us warned. "She's the one who wished us here. Wherever 'here' is."**

**Once again, our small group turned and this time, saw two people. One had red hair and gray eyes. The other had blue eyes and strawberry-blond hair. "Mollie." Stated the former. "And this is Touchnotthiscat."**

**"Daisy, if you'd like." The latter girl smiled shyly. "What are we all doing here?"**

**"I'm Libby Sarah," I told them. "This is The Biting Faery, and that's Tawnya." I hesitated, biting my lip. "I sort of…wished to meet the List."**

**"And so Jareth eagerly took the opportunity to grant that wish." Mollie nodded.**

**More girls were coming to join us.**

**"Do you guys happen to know what's going on?" Questioned a short girl with blue-green eyes. She took off her jacket to reveal a Father Ryan t-shirt.**

**"Who are you?" I asked.**

**"Beth."**

**"Oh, the Owl Charmer!" I grinned.**

**"Yup, that's me."**

**"I'm Northstar." A girl with hazel eyes spoke up. She wielded a pen and notepad, and after she waved to us, immediately sat down began to jot away in it.**

**Next was a girl with black, wavy hair. "Rave." She said smiling. Looking around at the group's faces, she insisted, "Cheer up, guys!"**

**The last Listian had one blue eye, one green eye. She wore a dress of sewn oak leaves; it was mystic and picturesque.**

**"Anony." She bowed.**

**"I love your dress!" I told her.**

**"I love what you're wearing as well!" she complimented. I had on my "Sarah Outfit", which consisted of a brown vest over a white poet's shirt, jeans, and my castle necklace.**

**"Thanks. Except the vest is the wrong color…"**

**"Oh, that's okay—"**

**"Hold it!"**

**Despite the fact that Stephanie hadn't actually yelled her order, we all ceased talking and looked at her.**

**"Libby, it's been very odd, but after I was done checking my mail, it was off to play practice."**

**"I understand, Stephanie." After a hug, I said, "Jareth, you can end this now."**

**Nothing.**

**"Come on, Goblin King. Do that voodoo that you do and send The Biting Faery home!"**

**An evil laugh echoed above us. All of us were instantly on our guard.**

**"Libby, what have you noticed about your Listian friends?"**

**"We're all obsessed?" I guessed futilely.**

**"That you are. But alas, no. Try again."**

**The members and I took a long, hard look at each other. We were all female, but that was too obvious.**

**"May I have a hint?"**

**"What country are you all from?"**

**"America." I shrugged apathetically. That was simple enough.**

**"Precisely. I believe your wish was to meet _all_ of the Listians, was it not?"**

**"Yes…" I suddenly felt ill. Stephanie and I caught each other's glance. She wouldn't be going to play practice anytime soon.**

**Because we had some traveling to do.**

Back  Chapter Three 

**Chapter One  Home**


	4. Chapter Three The Waiting

Chapter Three—The Waiting

**The Listians wanted my blood.**

**"We have to go around the world and pick up the rest of the List." Mollie wet her lips, attempting to keep calm. "Do you know how long that will take? How many countries we'll have to visit?"**

**"Not to mention how many of us there are!" added Jess, who had joined us shortly before.**

**"We have no money, or mode of transportation!" Tawnya threw her hands up in the air. Northstar was writing again, but she glanced in my direction and gave me a Look.**

**Beth and Daisy, however, were sitting peacefully on either side of me.**

**"It'll be fun." Beth insisted, putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "And I didn't have any plans this week anyway."**

**"Maybe you didn't…" mumbled Stephanie.**

**"I'm sorry." I said again, eyes downcast.**

**"Forget about it." Daisy turned to face me, a smile on her face. "Pretty soon, more of the American List members will check their mail, and we can start. We'll be done before ya know it!"**

**I perked up. She was right; feeling sorry for myself wasn't helping any. So I did what came natural to cheer everyone up.**

**"Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered…"**

**And in no time at all, all of us were reciting The Words.**

**"You have no power over me!"**

**"Ladies," a voice boomed above us, "you'll _not_ do _that_ again!"**

**We looked at one another until we couldn't contain ourselves any longer.**

**And broke into fits of laughter.**

***                      *                      *                      *                      ***

**"Does anyone have a watch?" I asked, shielding my eyes from the sun. Jareth had gone through the trouble of making us uncomfortable; that was for sure.**

**"It's 1 o'clock," replied Lori. I felt bad for her; she was wearing baggy pants and a flannel shirt, and looked like she was roasting.**

**"Never have I wanted people to read their e-mail as badly as I do right now," Stephanie remarked. At least she had a way to keep cool: she beat her wings to create a breeze.**

**"Maybe some of the American members are at school, and can't get to a computer." Starlight commented. It was a possibility. We had a few college students on the List.**

**Starlight stood behind Stephanie, her silk dress and forest green velvet cloak swaying as the Faery beat her wings. **

The appearance of Starlight had been an interesting one, to say the least. Apparently, she'd been at Jareth's castle when he found her and brought her to the rest of us. In a flash of silver light, both King and Listian appeared. They argued, Starlight saying that he was a bit uptight and Jareth countering that her flooding his bathroom didn't exactly make his day.

**"You just can't take a joke, your Highness." Starlight said calmly.**

**"Ha! The day you present to me a joke that I approve of is the day I admit it's a sock!"**

**The only way I can describe the following moments are utter silence and dropped jaws. Excluding Starlight, who had a wry smile on her face. The King's face grew red and he muttered something inaudible before vanishing in a cloud of glitter.**

**"I think almost all of us are here." Helen sighed. "We only seem to be missing—"**

**"Me."**

**The group looked up to find a familiar figure. She had short brown hair and glasses, and was wearing jeans and a David Bowie T-shirt.**

**"Anakerie!"**

**"You're damn right, it's me! I wouldn't miss another chance to make fun of Our King."**

**I got up and ran to my dear friend and fellow Listian. The other girls did the same. We were happy to have another ally and List veteran with us. Now we were ready.**

**"Jareth, we're all here!" I announced impatiently. "What country are we going to first?"**

"You think it's that easy?" the King's voice echoed sinisterly.

Back  Chapter Four 

**Chapter Two  Home**


	5. Chapter Four Rite of Passage

Chapter Four—Rite of Passage

**By now, my emotions and those of the Listians were running far past thin.**

**"What do you mean?' Was my forced-calm reply.**

**"Simply that. As you know, my Labyrinth is not an easy thing to conquer. Neither is your quest."**

**"Hasn't waiting for hours in the hot sun been enough torture?" inquired Michaellah, though she looked at me when she said it.**

**"Torture?" Jareth feigned ignorance. "And here I thought you'd enjoy your task."**

**"Depends," LittleWren said, "on what we have to do."**

**In an instant, the land around us transformed. There were now trees and mountains all around.**

**"Where are we?" Cheralyn breathed.**

**"Part of the Canadian boarder. You have a List member to find." Jareth shuddered; how I knew is still a mystery to me. "There are far too many of you Tights-Happy Freaks."**

**"No name-calling!" shouted Lady Sarai.**

**"Besides, it's not our fault you're so sexy!" Cybil yelled.**

**"Flattery will get you nowhere, lass." The King advised. Unfortunately, as well as I knew him, I could tell he was smiling smugly.**

**"Are we ready, guys?" Sesana, near the front of our group, took charge and began to walk through the trees.**

**"And where are you going?" Jareth asked.**

**A streak of blue light pierced the air and a blaze of blue fire encircled us. A few of the girls, including myself, cried out at the suddenness of it. The King laughed. "Now, then, as I was saying, this will not be easy. You'll have a test to pass before you are allowed to enter each Listian-inhabited country. Should you fail to correctly pass said test…"**

**"What?" Queried FireDstany. "What happens then?"**

**"That's for me to know," the King's voice echoed one last time, "and you to find out."**

**"He's so infuriating!" Labyrinthian clenched her hands into fists.**

**"Guys, look!" Jess pointed ahead of us. We all turned and drew in sharp breaths.**

**Before us, words were forming.**

**"Is this our first test?" inquired LittleWren. Some shrugged; the rest didn't answer. We were all mesmerized by the words:**

_I sizzle like bacon_

**_I am made with an egg_**

**_I have plenty of backbone_**

**_But lack a good leg_**

**_I peel layers like onions_**

**_But still remain whole_**

**_I can be long like a flagpole_**

**_Yet fit in a hole_**

**_What am I?_**

****

**"A riddle is our first test?" squealed Tawnya, her blue eyes sparkling.**

**"I—I guess." I stammered. "Any ideas?"**

**"'Sizzle like bacon, made with an egg'." Repeated Guinevere, frowning. "Makes me hungry. I didn't have breakfast."**

**"What are some things without legs?" Pondered Anakerie.**

**Discussion spread like wildfire. Various parts of the riddle were questioned.**

**Northstar was biting her lip and fiddling with her notebook again. "Hey, guys, I wrote the riddle down…what if we don't take it so literally…?"**

**We stopped talking and thought about that.**

**"It remains whole after peeling," said Starlight. "A bird, maybe?"**

**"No." Sesana shook her head. "Birds have legs."**

**"Long like a flagpole. It must be small and thin." Beth concluded.**

**"Maybe 'sizzle' means it makes a noise…like a hissing sound." I added.**

**"What's small and thin?" Beth asked.**

**"Has no legs."**

**"Shed's it's skin."**

**"Hisses…"**

**Instantly, we all shouted, "A SNAKE!"**

**Happy to have solved the first test, the Listians and I cheered, hugged, and jumped around.**

**One of us must have been paying attention to the blue fire encircling us. And whoever it was let out a blood-curdling scream.**

**What were once cerulean flames licking the sky became hundreds of hissing, rattling, venomous snakes!**

**In every hiss, there was laughter. Jareth's laughter.**

**How were we supposed to pass _this_ test?**

Back  Chapter Five 

**Chapter Three  Home**


	6. Chapter Five O, Canada!

**Chapter Five—O, Canada!**

"Are they real?" Gasped Northstar, shaking. Lori and Cheralyn stepped cautiously forward. Two snakes watched them for only a second before lurching forward and snapping. The girls jumped back quicker than lightning.

"YES!" they answered in unison.

"That jerk!" I growled, controlling my anger just enough to keep an eye on the poisonous reptiles. "He never said there were _two_ parts to the riddle!"

"We never asked." Mollie replied bitterly.

The snakes drew closer to our tightly packed group. Frantically, I searched around, hoping against hope that there was something to save us.

A small breeze blew into the forest then. I gazed at the tree branches; they were swinging gently with it.

All except one—a low branch within reach.

"There!" I cried. The Listians looked to where I pointed. Immediately, we proceeded.

It wasn't simple, but slowly…carefully…we climbed the tree, onto the branch, and jumped over the snakes. We'd passed the second half of the test, and the snakes vanished.

We were in Canada.

Before we could fully breath a sigh of relief, the King's voice sounded above us.

"Well done, ladies. You made it, and not a moment too soon."

"That was going too far, Jareth!" said Stephanie, shaking her head.

"Someone could have gotten hurt!" Added Cheralyn.

"Fortunately, no one was."

"You son of a—" Anakerie began. Rave put a hand on her shoulder before she could finish.

"Careful, Ana." She warned. "He's capable of worse."

"That I am, my lady. But as you've completed the first test, I will not persist with further challenges…for a time."

"Just tell us where to find the next Listian, Jareth!" I ordered.

"Dear girl, I'm not the only one who possesses a crystal."

Again, he was gone.

"What is he talking about?" wondered Anony. "None of us have a crystal!"

Anger sprang anew. The List members' patience was all but gone. I played with my castle necklace, waiting out the storm. 

Guinevere came over, observing my necklace.

"Where'd you get it?" she inquired.

"I'd like to say it was 'made for me', but it's only a key chain I bought on a choir trip to the mall."

Her eyes must have met the red cord that held the key chain, then the castle itself; the flags and turrets. The stairs surrounding a plastic, marble-like sphere. Nothing special, but to me, it was magical.

And then Guinevere tilted her head to the side and mumbled, "I wonder…"

She held the castle in her hand and looked it over, then fingered the clear marble. "Can you see anything in this?"

"Guin, it's plastic."

"I know, but His Tightness said one of us had a crystal, and this is the closest thing I can think of. So humor me."

I nodded, and she handed the castle back to me. Putting all my focus on the marble, I waited.

No more than a few seconds went by before colors swam through it. My face lit up; I announced, "We have a crystal!"

"Huh?" Chorused the rest of the group.

I held up my necklace, indicating the marble, and continued.

"I should be able to find our next Listian with this!"

All the previously angry voices dispersed. I sighed happily. The bounty on my head was postponed.

Again, I observed my crystal. A name was slowly forming.

_Rhonda._

"We're going to find Rhonda, guys!" I told them.

Canada was a big country; it'd take forever to find our fellow Listian. But now we had a little magic with us. And morale was high. We could do this.

Holding tight to my crystal, I closed my eyes and said, "Take us to Rhonda."

At first, nothing happened. At least, it didn't feel like anything was happening. However, when I opened my eyes, I was in awe at how the land went rushing past us, like a movie in fast-forward.

And then we were there.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *

"It's so cold!" shivered Stephanie. The other 'warm-climate' members agreed, rubbing their arms. (Lori stood proudly, now glad she was wearing what she was.) I shrugged indifferently.

"You're not cold?" Queried FireDstany, sneezing.

"I live in Wisconsin." Was my casual reply.

"Ahhh." The Listians nodded.

"Are we close?" Daisy wanted to know.

"Yeah." I answered pointing to a house across the way. "I think that's where she lives."

We crossed the street and went up to the house. I knocked on the door and tried to look as nonchalant as possible. People passing by on the street stared at us, and all we could do was smile nervously.

Not a moment too soon, the door opened and a person stood in its place. She was tall, with red-brown hair, and dressed in magenta from head to toe. A beautiful necklace—a pewter dragon's claw holding a crystal—hung around her neck.

"Rhonda?" I asked hopefully.

"Uh-huh."

"Labyrinth Listians." I spread my arms to indicate the crowd that was trying, unsuccessfully, to get warm. "Um, I don't suppose you've checked your e-mail recently?"

"No, I've been Labyrinth."

Many loud groans made their way up from behind me.

"Rhonda, we need to talk."

*                      *                      *                      *                      *

The explanation went as well as I expected—yet another member added to the Mob that was to deal with me later.

"Well done, Libby." Remarked Jareth, appearing in front of us again.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Oh, immensely. Now, are you ready for your next riddle?"

"Do your worst!" Rhonda jeered. It was painfully obvious how quickly her zeal would burn out.

"Very well; here you are:

_You're walking along when you come to a fork in the road. _

_You know that down one of the paths is a tribe of cannibals _

_who will eat you up, but down the other path is a nice tribe who _

_will grant you safe passage. There is a tribesman at the fork,_

_though you don't know to which tribe he belongs. You know _

_that the cannibals always lie, and the nice tribe always tells _

_the truth. You need to find out which path leads to the nice _

_tribe, and you can only ask one question. What will it be?"_

"It's like the Alph and Ralph riddle!" Jess exclaimed.

"That always confuses me!" Moaned Helen.

"Come on, guys. We've solved one already. We can solve this one, too!"

We all turned to Stephanie. She shrugged, the corners of her mouth turning upward. "I'm determined to teach His Tightness that you don't mess with Listians!"

I smiled as well. With The Biting Faery in a better mood, I hoped that the rest of them would soon follow suit.

"'One question'." Repeated Cybil, thinking hard. "Only one."

"Wouldn't the cannibals eventually eat each other?" Michaellah smirked.

"And then the tribe members that were left could go over to the nice tribe's and 'have them for dinner'." Rhonda added.

The two of them giggled, until they noticed they were being given odd glances and narrowed eyes. Then they cleared their throats.

"The cannibals always lie." Lady Sarai pondered aloud. "So you'd have to ask a question that wouldn't matter what the answer was."

"'Which way to the nice tribe'?" Guessed Labyrinthian.

"No." Rave shook her head. "If he was a cannibal, he'd lie and point you to his tribe."

"That goes for the opposite, too." Tawnya pointed out. "The nice tribesman wouldn't lie, but he'd point you in the same direction."

"I've got it!" exclaimed Beth. "You ask, 'Which way to your tribe?' If he's a cannibal, he'll lie, and point you to the nice tribe. If he's a nice tribesman, he'll point you the same way!"

"Quite right, Beth." Praised the King.

"Thank you." Beth grinned.

"Nevertheless, you have a second half to this riddle as well."

Back  Chapter Six

Chapter Four  Home


	7. Chapter Six Flaw In The Plan

Chapter Six—Flaw In The Plan

**The land around us changed yet again. We were outside of a different wooded place; a divided path lay ahead of us. A man wearing little more than a bone necklace and grass skirt stood at the fork.**

**"Is this the guy from our riddle?" Helen raised an eyebrow.**

**"You may only ask me one question." The man stated. "To get to England…"**

**"England, guys! We just need to pick the right path and we'll be in our next country!" I tried to be optimistic—probably not the smartest move.**

**"Why not just ask 'which way to England'?" asked Sesana.**

**"No!" Guinevere waved her hands. "He might be a cannibal!"**

**Several of the Listians stepped back from the man, eyeing him suspiciously. Guinevere sighed.**

**"I meant he might be a liar. Do you guys honestly think His Tightness would leave us here with a cannibal?"**

**"I wouldn't put it past him." Jess said, folding her arms across her chest.**

**"I assure you, I am no cannibal, nor am I a liar."**

**"So let's do it!" Labyrinthian went right up to the man and simply asked, "Which path leads to England?"**

**The man pointed to the left; some Listians sighed in relief. Sarah had always chosen right and things didn't turn out so well afterwards. **

**Labyrinthian gave a nod to the man. "Thank you."**

**And we went forward on the path that would lead us to England, and to our next List members.**

**Or so that's what we thought, just before the ground gave way beneath us and we landed hard on a floor, somewhere in the dark.**

***                      *                      *                      *                      ***

After the initial shock set in, moments of silence followed. No one moved; breathing ceased.

**I had landed on my back and gotten the wind knocked out of me, but as soon as I was able to talk again, I asked, "Is everyone okay?"**

**A light flickered and slightly illuminated our enclosure. Rock surrounded us, and there was only a single, small hole at the top.**

**"Why are we in a Oubliette?" Mollie held a lighter—our only way of seeing, albeit dim.**

**"The tribesman claimed he didn't lie." Anony said irritably.**

**"And he was indeed true to his word."**

**Jareth graced us with his presence again. He wasn't grinning in that omnipotent, mocking way, but instead smiling faintly. Which, of course, didn't soften the blow. "Both paths lead to England, although the path you chose contained entry to an Oubliette. You failed to ask about that."**

**"Jareth, this isn't funny anymore!" I insisted. "You don't even realize what could have happened, do you?"**

**"So you're not enjoying my game?" The King asked, cocking his head to the side.**

**"Your little 'game' is going to get us killed!"**

**"Have you no faith in me?" Jareth was fast becoming impatient.**

**"Not when these close calls are scaring us to death!"**

**"Guys?" Cheralyn's voice wavered.**

**"What?!" The King and I shouted in unison, swinging around furiously.**

**"My…arm hurts and…I can't move it. Something's wrong with it. When I fell…"**

**Mollie, who, along with the others, had been watching the tennis ball fight going back and forth, pointed her lighter toward Cheralyn's voice. Even the Goblin King winced as the light shone on her.**

**Her arm was at an unusual angle, and it made me cringe. I didn't do well with broken anything. However, I rushed to Cheralyn's side, wanting to help and knowing full well there was nothing I could do.**

**"She can't go on like this." Stated Lori firmly.**

**"Cheralyn needs to get to a hospital!" Cybil demanded.**

**From the place by Cheralyn where I knelt, I glared at Jareth. He still looked shocked and guilty that he'd let such a thing happen—as he should have been!**

**But before I could say as much, he brushed past the other Listians and over to Cheralyn. In a poised, regal, and fairy tale manner, he lifted her up with a concerned expression, then faced us.**

**"The rest of you, of course, will have to find your own way out."**

**He faded away, carrying a near-tears Cheralyn. Sighing, I hoped she'd be okay.**

***                      *                      *                      *                      ***

"Well, it's official," declared Mollie. "There's no way out."

**Our lighter-wielding Listian had gone through the whole Oubliette: the walls, the ceiling, even the ground. Nothing.**

**We used Beth's jacket, Starlight's cloak, and a few other odds and ends, hoping to form a door, but with no luck. We were stuck down here.**

**"The worst part is, Jareth never mentioned a 13-hour time limit." FireDstany sighed. "So we'll still be here tomorrow."**

**"Cheralyn won't, at least." Rhonda half-smiled.**

**"His Tightness better have gotten her arm checked out!" Anakerie fumed. "Or he'll have to answer to me!"**

**I twisted my necklace in my hand. Already, I had tried to make a door, or something of the like, but my crystal wasn't reacting. _What a time to revoke its power, Jareth_, I thought.**

**"If there were only a bigger hole…" Stephanie mumbled. "I could fly out." She half-smiled as well; her wings moved a little.**

**And _that's_ when my necklace glowed.**

**A crumbling noise above us was the cue to look up, and lo and behold, the size of the hole had increased!**

**"But…I was kidding! Or at least half-kidding!" Stephanie protested, standing up quickly.**

**"Wait, what was it Jareth said before he left?" LitteWren spoke up.**

**"He told us we'd have to find our own way out." Replied Rave. "And so far, we've done a bang up job."**

**"But maybe it's because we've tried to find a way out _together_."**

**"You mean," Stephanie began, "that because I thought of a way I'd get out, it happened?" LittleWren nodded.**

**"So all we have to do is think of how we want to leave the Oubliette individually?" Northstar asked.**

**Michaellah stepped forward and took a deep breath.**

**"I want to float up to the top in a bubble. A crystal bubble!"**

Again, my necklace glowed and almost instantly, Michaellah was inside a large, round bubble. Slowly, up she went.

**Stephanie laughed; her wings brought her toward the top, then out.**

**"I want a stone ladder!" Daisy said. Magically, stone rungs appeared in mid-air, and she started climbing.**

**"I want to be tossed up in a parachute." Starlight decided. She turned to the rest of us. "You know, like the ones you used in school when you're little."**

**When such a colorful parachute appeared, Starlight got in, and in a few waves, we got her up.**

**Mollie volunteered herself—and her lighter—to stay until everyone had gone, so they could see as they left the dim Oubliette. Then, it was down to the two of us.**

**"Go ahead." I insisted. "I'll hold your lighter, and give it back when I join you."**

**"Thanks." Mollie smiled.  After a moment of thought, she said. "I'd like to swim up."**

**A tall, wide cylinder encased her, filled with water.**

**Mollie waved to me, then kicked her feet and swam away. Now, I was the only one left.**

**Of course, the others had some great ideas, and it would be hard to think of something original. It looked fun when Guinevere rode away on the horse she asked for. (She said it reminded her of Peaches.)**

**Then, it came to me; I'd never been in a hot-air balloon before!**

**As if just thinking it were enough, a big, silver balloon with a clear, crystal basket appeared in front of me. A set of white, marble stairs materialized for me to climb up. I grinned, pleased with my imagination.**

**The moment I was in, I pulled the cord to release fire into the balloon, and away I went. It was a short ride to the top, but fun all the same.**

Mollie helped me out of the basket. I gave her the lighter, and we continued on our somewhat merry way.

**Back  Chapter Seven**

**Chapter Five  Home**


	8. Chapter Seven NotSo Jolly Old England

**Chapter Seven—Not-So Jolly Old England**

"My geography may not be up to par," Lady Sarai started, "but isn't England across an ocean?"

**She was right. Even though we'd been walking along the correct path, the Atlantic Ocean was nowhere in sight.**

**"Something must be wrong." I agreed. "I mean, we haven't been walking in circles or anything, but…"**

**"Things are a bit off?" Tawnya competed.**

**"Yeah."**

**The trees stopped moving; the wind ceased blowing. Nature stood perfectly still, as if quieting down. And soon we knew why.**

**"I apologize for the confusion." Jareth's voice returned, though it sounded worn out; different. "I took the liberty of creating a 'land bridge' for you. You should arrive in England shortly."**

**"That's not like him." Beth shook her head.**

**"Everyone keep their guard up." Rhonda advised.**

**Only, there was nothing to guard against. Within a few minutes, we were in England.**

**Stephanie's eyes gleamed.**

**"David Bowie lives here…" she breathed.**

**"Yeah, Stephanie, he lives here…" Jess patted her on the back. "…with his wife and kid…"**

**"Hush! You're ruining my Happy Place!"**

**"Who's next?" Questioned Anony.**

**"Well, the English List Members are Raven, Anya, Wolfette, Moonbaby, and Louise-Anne." I answered.**

**"Let's get Wolfette first." LittleWren suggested. "She loves _The 10th Kingdom_. We can talk about it while we get the others!"**

**"Sounds like a plan." I winked, my crystal in hand.**

***                      *                      *                      *                      ***

**"Wolfette?" I asked. "From the Labyrinth List?"**

**"Please, call me Wolfie." The dark-haired wolf-like girl shook my hand. She glanced at our ever-growing group, then back at me. "What did Jareth do now?"**

**"Actually, it's more what I did." I admitted. "Long story—I'll explain on the way."**

**"Where are we going?" Wolfie shut the door behind her.**

**"To get four other Listians."**

**"Is this all of you? Large bunch."**

**"No." My eyes were downcast. "This isn't all of us."**

**We told her about Cheralyn—the riddle, the fall—how Jareth took her away with him. Wolfie smiled.**

**"I can have him sued thirteen times over! This is perfect!" she exclaimed. The others eyed her curiously. "Remember: I'm a lawyer." Wolfie sighed wistfully. Faces perked up again; grins grew wide. We had a defense against the Goblin King.**

**Then again, as long as we were dealing with matters of the List, any one of them could sue me…**

**"We'll get Anya next," I told the Listians, "then circle around and get Moonbaby, Louise-Ann, and Raven."**

**"Don't tell me you walked all the whole way." Wolfie blinked.**

**"Oh, no." I laughed. "We have a much better way of travel."**

***                      *                      *                      *                      ***

**"Amazing." Wolfie whispered. "Love that crystal of yours."**

**"Thank you." I said as I scanned our surroundings. There weren't any houses, just a park. No bridge over a river, however. "Anya should be here somewhere."**

**Then, approaching us was a girl with highlighted, sandy blond hair. Her ankle-length skirt swayed as she stopped. "Anya?" I inquired.**

**"Yes." She looked at us quizzically. "Are you Jehovah's Witnesses?"**

**"Worse." Stephanie replied. "Listians."**

**"Hey, guys!" Anya greeted. "Why are you all here in England?"**

**"Long story." We answered in unison.**

***                      *                      *                      *                      ***

**Similar experiences graced us when we 'picked up' Louise-Ann and Moonbaby. They were excited to be with us on our journey, but, like the rest of the Listians, unhappy about the circumstances.**

**Raven was the last member in England. We knocked on her door and waited. And waited.**

**"This is not good." Guinevere sighed.**

**"If Raven isn't home…" Starlight trailed off.**

**But soon we heard footsteps and the lock on the door clicked, allowing us to breath normally again.**

**The door opened, bringing with it cries of surprise, giggles, and various other clamor.**

**Standing before us was a clone of the Goblin King—only female.**

**"You must be Raven." I couldn't help but stare at her. It was odd how much she resembled His Majesty.**

**"That I am. And who are all of you?"**

**"We're the Labyrinth List."**

**"Oh." Raven flushed slightly. "You see, I was role-playing, and…um…getting into character…"**

**"You don't have to explain." Stephanie pressed her lips tightly together, lest she laugh again.**

**"Bug-woman?" Raven asked. "So you came along, eh?"**

**"Nice to see you, too, Goblin Queen."**

**"Guys…" I ventured, trying not to get too into it.**

**"What in the world is going on?" Raven asked.**

**"Why does everyone ask that?" I took a deep breath and let it out fast. "Can't we just remember that we're Listians and crazy stuff happens with us all the time?"**

**"With this bunch? Are you nuts?" Raven put her hands on her hips, making her look even more like Jareth. I ignored her comment.**

**"Okay, we have Rave, so let's get ready for our riddle."**

**"Why can't that glitter-covered, tights-wearing, evil mad just leave me alone?" Another accented voice cried.**

**"Oh, really, you must be joking…" Raven raised an eyebrow.**

**"We all pivoted around and saw our second surprise.**

**David Bowie.**

**He had his head in his hands, and was muttering and pacing furiously.**

**"It's him!" Stephanie clasped her hands together. "It's Sailor himself!"**

**"Honestly, Bug-woman, you and your BowieNet!"**

**"You want another Peach War on your hands?"**

**"Stop!" I demanded. When the fighting ceased, I walked up to Bowie and put a hand on his shoulder.**

**"Um, Mr. Bowie, what exactly did Jareth do?"**

**The rock star looked at me.**

**"Your outfit's like the one that American girl I worked with wore in that movie."**

**"Jennifer Connelly. In _Labyrinth_."**

**"Yeah, that's the one."**

**Rolling my eyes, I tried again.**

**"What did Jareth do?"**

**"He said if I didn't deliver 'the Listians' a riddle, he'd take my daughter, Alexandria, away. That man's only purpose in life is to make people miserable!"**

**"Believe me, we know." I groaned.**

**"Kidnapping threats…" Our lawyer rubbed her hands together. "This is great!"**

**"Excuse me?" Bowie narrowed his eyes at her.**

**"Uh, nothing." Wolfie tried, unsuccessfully, to blend back into our group. Bowie continued to stare at her, confused.**

"Well, Mr. Bowie, we're the Listians. All you have to do is give us our riddle and you can go back to your daughter." I assured him.

**"Thank you." Bowie closed his eyes and exhaled. "Alright, here it is:**

What can run but never walks 

**_Has a mouth but never talks_**

**_Has a head but never weeps_**

**_Has a bed but never sleeps."_**

****

The second the riddle was completed, Bowie disappeared. Many a groan could be heard. There was also a faint cheer, which I suspected was from Raven.

**"A clock runs," said Anya, "but nothing else in the riddle fits."**

**"There are numerous things with mouths that don't talk." Louise-Ann toyed with a strand of hair.**

**"If only that were the case with my brother." I remarked.**

**"I think I've heard this one…" Moonbaby repeated the riddle to herself. "Yeah, I have! The answer is a _river_: the water runs; it has a mouth, a head, and a river bed."**

**"Yes!" Was the general reception. **

**"Listians," I began after checking my crystal, "we're going to Italy!"**

**It was my mistake to utter those words just before a huge, crashing river flowed before us.**

**Back  Chapter Eight**

**Chapter Six  Home**


	9. Chapter Eight Bridges, Banter, and Boxes

Chapter Eight-Bridges, Bread, and Boxes

**"This just keeps getting more and more interesting," said Guinevere between gritted teeth.**

**"Jareth doesn't expect us to swim that, does he?" Daisy inquired.**

**"Not if he wants to live!" Shouted Mollie.**

**"Can you make a bridge?" Beth asked me.**

"I'll try." Holding my necklace up, I closed my eyes and in my mind formed a safe, crossable bridge.

**Which, unfortunately, became a swaying, rotted structure of wood the moment I opened them. I swore under my breath.**

**"Jareth." The Listians sighed in unison.**

**"Well, we may be able to cross it. We'll go by twos." I told them.**

**As luck would have it, the first two girls in our ground were Stephanie and Raven.**

**"Ladies first." Stephanie smiled and went ahead to the bridge. Raven did the same.**

**"What would I do without you, Bug Woman?"**

**Slowly, the two of them crept along the bridge and made their way across.**

**The rest of us breathed a sigh of relief, and the next two girls went. And the next, until all the Listians had made it to the other side.**

**"Alex..." I informed my friends. "She's the one in Italy."**

***                      *                      *                      *                      ***

**"I'd kill for some garlic bread," Anony murmured, smelling the air around a food stand we passed.**

**"A nice glass of wine and some pasta..." Anakerie licked her lips.**

**"Does anyone have any money?" Tawnya queried.**

**"I have a total of eighty cents in my pocket." Lori announced.**

**"That won't even buy us parmesan cheese." Labyrinthian kicked a rock on the ground.**

**"We're almost there." I assured everyone. "About a block away, in fact."**

**Once there, again, I was pushed to the front of the group and made to knock. "Alex?"**

**Brown-haired, brown-eyed, and wearing glasses, she tilted her head and asked,**

**"Can I help you?"**

**"Yes." I nodded. "We're-"**

**"Skip the introductions!" Sesana lurched forward. "Do you have anything to eat?"**

**"Um, I just opened a package of peaches..."**

**"NO!" We yelled in unison.**

**"Oh, you guys must be the Labyrinth List." Alex grinned. "What's up?"**

**"By solving riddles, we've been traveling from country to country, gathering Listians because of a wish I made." The short version of our story spilled out.**

**"Cool! And you are?"**

**"Libby Sarah."**

**"Oh, yeah. You have some great signatures."**

**"Thanks." I smiled briefly. "Ready?"**

**"Sure!" Alex slammed the door behind her and joined us. "Bring on the riddle!"**

**All around us it grew dark. A movie screen lowered out of the sky and an image flickered.**

**"What the...?" FireDstany mumbled.**

Finally the picture focused and a box was centered on the screen. A 1950's filmstrip voiceover said:

_"You want to send a valuable object to a friend._

_You have a box, which is more than large enough to contain the object._

_You have several locks with keys._

_The box has a locking ring, which is more than large enough to have a lock attached._

_But your friend does not have the key to any lock you have._

_How do you do it?_

_Note that you can not send a key in an unlocked box, since it might be copied."_

**The film ended, shut off, and then the screen went back up.**

"I feel like I've been in school," I moaned.

**Raven took a deep breath. "I wouldn't bother sending something like that through the Postal Service. Too expensive and troublesome."**

**"It'd be stupid to send a 'valuable object' in an unlocked box, anyway." Jess intoned.**

**"Does the friend have her own lock?" Asked Lady Sarai. I shrugged, as did a few other girls. The riddle didn't cover that. "Bare with me; I have a theory."**

**Slowly, we moved closer to hear this 'theory'.**

"Say the friend has her own lock. You send the box with your lock, then she puts her own lock on, and sends it back. You can take your lock off and send it back to her, and she can take her lock off."

"Congratulations, Lady Sarai." The voiceover complimented. "You may proceed."

**Our Listian began walking forward; we followed cautiously.**

**Suddenly, all around us appeared boxes with locks. We Listians were trapped in the center.**

**"After you choose the correct box."**

**Back****  Chapter Nine**

**Chapter Seven****  Home**


	10. Chapter Nine A Very Dangerous Game

Chapter Nine-A Very Dangerous Game

"Oh, obviously." Muttered Stephanie. "I mean, we've done this so many times before, why stop now?"

"It's okay." I smiled to perk everyone up. "Those riddles are like mosquito bites: annoying, but ya love to scratch them!"

**Immediately I regretted my 'pep talk'. The group stared at me, their looks ranging from wide-eyed surprise to narrowed, angry eyes. "Anyway," I continued uneasily, "let's get this over with."**

**I glanced at each box. Nothing special. They were exactly how the riddle described them: big enough to hold whatever object you'd want to send to someone, with a large locking ring. "Any hints?"**

**"No," answered the voiceover monotonously. "Just pick a box."**

**"Boy, that's fair." Northstar rolled her eyes. The rest of us groaned. "Well, at least I didn't say 'It's not fair'!" And the groaning commenced.**

**"Okay, this should be a snap." Daisy faced the group. "Just look for one with a flaw; something that stands out. And that's our box!"**

**So we each took a box, picked it up and examined it. Trouble was, they were _all_ different.**

**Labyrinthian sighed. "Mine has a blue spot on the bottom."**

**"This one's got a funny smell." Sesana backed away from hers.**

**"There's a pouch in mine," giggled Anakerie. A few other snickers were heard. Those who hadn't read "The Package"-and there weren't many of them-only stared, confused.**

**"So much for that idea." Daisy sighed.**

**"It was a good one," I assured her. "But you know His Majesty is making it hard for us." She nodded.**

**"I say just bloody pick one!" Raven threw her hands up in the air.**

**"Last time we picked the wrong thing, we ended up in an Oubliette." Protested Starlight.**

**"You got out, didn't you?" Raven said matter-of-factly. "So let's just try our luck. Crystal Boy can't hold us here forever."**

**With a shrug, I was with Raven. There were too many ways to torture Jareth should he try to keep up against our will.**

**"Alright then, which box?" Wolfie inquired. If only it were that simple! Despite Raven's words, I knew some of us were worried about the consequences of a wrong answer.**

**"That one." Guinevere pointed to a box covered in glowing stripes. Our King was nothing if not creative.  The Listians nodded their agreement and Guinevere opened the box.**

**She reached in and retrieved a small piece of paper, then read it aloud: "_Congratulations, Listians. You've earned your way to the next country_."**

**The boxes vanished. A path lit up, and the Listians and I followed it, not wasting any time.**

***                      *                      *                      *                      ***

"Singapore." I spread my arms, indicating the country we were gazing at.

**"Who lives here?" Queried Anya.**

**"Collin." I replied as I consulted my crystal.**

**With twenty-one of us, we must have been quite the sight. But our focus wasn't on how we looked to the semi-crowded city we were approaching. It was finding Listian twenty-two.**

***                      *                      *                      *                      ***

"Here's her house."

**Before the Listians had a chance to force me to the front of the group, I went ahead and knocked on my own.**

**A few minutes went by. Worried faces returned. These waiting scares weren't helping.**

**Someone advanced to the door and looked us over, then with a yawn, opened it.**

**"Yeah?"**

**"Are you Collin?"**

**Another yawn. "Uh-huh."**

**She was short, with black hair and (when they weren't closed) black eyes. She had on a somewhat wrinkled shirt and jeans.**

**"We're the Labyrinth List."**

**"Oh, hey!" She rubbed at her eyes, then shook her head quickly. "Sorry, I was sleeping."**

**"Really, dear? We hadn't noticed." Raven spoke up. Stephanie elbowed her in the side."**

**"Sorry we woke you, Collin," I began sympathetically, "but we need you to come with us. We have a sort of 'mission'."**

**"Sure!" Collin grabbed a light jacket and shut the door behind her.**

**"I have to warn you-" I started. But I was cut off by a loud sound whizzing above us.**

**Looking up, I saw a skywriting plane. Slowly, it formed white, fluffy words:**

**_One day, centuries ago, an alchemist brought a small bottle to the king._**

**_"This bottle", said he, "holds a liquid so powerful that it will instantly dissolve anything it touches." _**

**_How did the king know the man was lying?_**

****

"Aw, how sweet," said Rhonda sarcastically. "He included a king in that riddle."

**"The alchemist was crossing his fingers." Joked Beth.**

**"This one is simple," Collin remarked. "Do I just answer?"**

**"Yeah, if you think you know it." I nodded.**

**Collin wet her lips and replied, "If the liquid dissolved anything, it would also dissolve the bottle."**

**Within a few quick movements, the words overhead disappeared, as did the plane, and everything around us faded away.**

**"Brava, Miss Collin." A figure in black materialized before us.**

**"Speaking of kings…" Rhonda muttered.**

**Jareth strode forward and grasped Collin's hand, planting a kiss upon it. Collin roughly seized it back.**

**"Clever girl. And a wonderful List member, as I'm sure all of you would agree."**

**"Quit mocking us, Jareth!" I ordered. "We know you're annoyed by the quantity of Listians."**

**"Oh, my, such big words."**

**"Okay, okay, we know you two are madly in love with each other, but you can stop bickering now." Raven said as she stepped between us.**

**"How's Cheralyn?" Lori asked. A chorus of voices repeated the question simultaneously.**

**"Cheralyn is well." The King answered simply. "However, I'll need to keep her for further recuperation."**

**"Then what are you doing here?" Anakerie spoke up angrily. "Did you come to gloat? Because you can do _that_ anytime, can't you?"**

**"Calm yourself, Anakerie." Jareth raised his hands. "Your esteemed Listian is resting comfortably. No harm will come to her."**

**"The question remains." Labyrinthian glared at His Tightness through her glasses. "Why are you here?"**

**"Have we forgotten already?" Jareth cocked his head the side. "The second half of your riddle?"**

**"Which would be?" Jess asked impatiently.**

**Jareth reached into the folds of his cap and pulled out two vials. One with red liquid, the other with blue, both with corks inside. He held them slightly apart.**

"As in the riddle, one of these vials holds a liquid that dissolves anything. Although, magic keeps said liquid from eating away at said vials. In order to proceed to Australia-your last country-one of you must drink from one vial. If you choose the correct one, you'll be on your way to the end of the road. If not, well…I'm sure you can guess…"

**"You're asking us to risk the life of one of our own!" Tawyna was horrified.**

**"There's no way!" Anony said firmly.**

**"We won't do it!" Northstar agreed.**

**"Well then," Jareth smiled, "forget Australia."**

**Oh, the urge to shout "That's not fair!" was agonizing. "You can thank your favorite Listian, of course." The King added, smiling.**

**I felt my face grow hot and my fists clench.**

**"I know I'm to blame for all of this, but you don't have to keep rubbing it in!"**

**Without a second thought, I snatched the vial with the blue liquid and pulled out the cork. I took a quick, deep breath and drank the contents.**

**The Listians stared at me, wide-eyed with surprise and worry. Jareth's expression was somewhat similar, until he smiled once again. This time, it wasn't an annoying smile, but rather one of admiration. A breathless moment went by.**

**"It, um, tasted like watered down cough syrup." I shuddered. I honestly couldn't stand the stuff.**

**"It was." Jareth replied. "Actually, they both were."**

**Closed eyes and relieved sighs spread among the group. I rejoined them, putting on a somewhat happy face.**

**Stephanie came up to me, pulled her arm back, and socked me on the arm. I was more shocked than hurt, but I rubbed the spot anyway, and look at my friend, confused.**

**"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" She commanded. Then she gave me a strong hug.**

**"I'm sorry." I returned the gesture.**

**"Honestly, you didn't think she was in any real danger, did you?" Jareth inquired.**

**"Of course we did, you maniac!" Starlight put a hand on my shoulder. "You're known for your dangerous stunts. Look what happened to Cheralyn!"**

**"A dreadful mistake on my part, I assure you."**

**"Yeah, well, no more!" Wolfie affirmed forcefully. "This ends now."**

**"You're stronger than this, naturally. You've proved yourselves to be as such by making it this far. Do you really want to quit when you only have one country left?"**

**Some inspirational speech. Obviously we hadn't wanted to play this game in the first place.**

**"We're ready for the rest of this adventure." Raven declared. "After all, girls, it's not like he's purposely trying to kill us, is it?"**

**"That's the spirit." Jareth nodded.**

**"Quiet you." Raven glared at him.**

**"We do only have one country left." Guinevere pointed out.**

**"To come all this way and then stop would be a waste." Fire Dstany established.**

**"I'm in," Sesana sighed.**

**"Me too, I guess." Anya shrugged.**

**"Yeah." Jess agreed. "Ditto for me."**

**"Might as well finish what we started." Lori joined the large group that wished to continue the journey.**

**"And you, dear girl?" Jareth turned his gaze on me. His eyes burned into mine. I could see them urging me on.**

**"Yes. I'm in as well." I said almost defiantly.**

**"Very good. Then by all means, proceed." He disappeared as quickly as he'd come.**

**"Why do I feel like an idiot who got suckered into some sort of scam?" I murmured.**

**"Well, he generally seemed to want us to go on." Michaellah said.**

**"He also generally had us convinced that those vials held dissolving liquid," argued Alex.**

**"Let's go." Coaxed Moonbaby. "We only have Australia now."**

**I held my crystal and closed my eyes and, cringing past the memory of what might have happened with those vials, I thought _Australia_.**

**Back  Chapter Ten**

**Chapter Eight  Home**


	11. Chapter Ten End of the Road

Chapter Ten- End of the Road

"We need to find Fletch, Dagonet, and Liorah." I let my crystal hand around my neck again. "Who's first?"

**"Wow, Australia." Fire Dstany looked around in awe. "Awesome Outback!"**

**"And how!" Said Starlight. "So much nature, and land marks galore!"**

"Damn that Goblin King for sending us here!" sighed Daisy wistfully. "Too many nice distractions."

**"Guys," Sesana took charge, "Libby wants to know which was we're headed."**

**"Just a sec." Northstar glanced up from her notepad and at a large cliff, then jotted away. Tawyna pulled the busy Listian back toward us.**

**"How about Dagonet." She suggested.**

**"Sounds good."**

***                      *                      *                      *                      ***

Among flowers and trees we found Dagonet. She was sketching the scene.

**We Listians walked to her silently as possible, hoping not to scare her, but she glanced up anyway.**

**"May I help you?" Dagonet asked, her hazel eyes scrutinizing suspiciously.**

**"Miss, we're from the Labyrinth List and we were wondering if you could answer a few questions for us." Stephanie joked.**

**"Hey, you guys!" Dagonet jumped up, barely kicked her sketchpad. "What are you all doing here in Australia? It's a bit late for the Labyrinth of Jareth Ball."**

**"We know." Anakerie muttered. "We're on a mission. Wanna come with us?"**

**"You bet!" Dagonet picked up her pad and pencil, then placed herself amid the ranks.**

***                      *                      *                      *                      ***

To find Fletch, the Listians and I had to search. My crystal brought us to where she was supposed to be, but Fletch was nowhere to be seen.

**"We definitely have to work for this, don't we?" Rhonda rubbed her tired eyes.**

**"You said it." Seconded Labyrinthian.**

**"Ow! What was that?" Lori squealed.**

**"What?" I hadn't noticed a thing.**

**"I think someone threw a rock at me."**

**"Who'd throw a rock at you?"**

**"I don't know. Maybe it was just my-"**

**A loud sound behind us gave only a moment to process what was happening. Someone jumped out from behind a heavy bush.**

**And she was laughing her head off at us.**

**"Are you Fletch?" Inquired an exasperated Lori.**

**"Call me Krys." She giggled a bit more. "Are you the List?"**

**"How'd you know?" Daisy narrowed her eyes in confusion.**

**"The mind of a goblin." Krys pointed to her head. "I know when magic is afoot. Let's be on our way, shall we?"**

**"Oh, I like her already." I grinned.**

***                      *                      *                      *                      ***

All we needed to do was get Liorah and we could finally go home.

**But it wasn't so much we just grabbed her and we were done. I'd wished to _meet_ the Listians; so far we'd only solved riddles and fought with each other. Jareth wasn't going to send everyone home right away, was he?**

**"You look deep in thought," commented Beth.**

**"Hmm?" I shook myself out of my trance.**

**"What are you thinking about?"**

**"This whole big adventure." I admitted. "I really wanted to meet you guys-under good terms. And what do I get? This…journey."**

**"You didn't think almost getting killed a few times was fun?" Beth winked at me.**

**"Oh, for the most part it's been great." I explained. "Riddle-solving is right up my alley."**

**"Which way do we go now, Libby?" Anakerie asked from the front.**

**"Left for about half a mile." I replied. "Then we should find Liorah."**

**"Well," continued Beth, "we could tell Jareth to give us a few minutes to talk."**

**"His Majesty would never give us the chance." I disagreed.**

**"Are you kidding? Libby, I have but two words for you: Ziggy Stardust."**

**I laughed aloud; Beth giggled. She was right. It wouldn't be that bad.**

***                      *                      *                      *                      ***

"This is it." Wolfie said.

**"End of the road." Tawyna nodded.**

**Slowly, I went to the door and hesitantly knocked. Our last tense moment of waiting.**

**She opened the door and smiled.**

**"Yes?"**

**"Liorah?"**

**"That would be me." She was tall, with green eyes and piercings.**

**"Labyrinth List." I stated simply.**

**"Wow! How are you guys?"**

**"Hungry."**

**"Tired."**

**"Scarred for life." Raved added. We turned to look at her. "Seeing Bug-woman swoon over David Bowie was nauseating."**

**"So's your wardrobe, Miss R.P.G."**

**"Liorah, meet Raven and Stephanie." I half-smiled.**

**"Hello." Liorah waved.**

**"We're taking you with us on our journey." Sesana announced. "Only…now that you've joined the group, we're pretty much done…"**

**"Almost." Jareth walked to us. He was dressed in silver from head to toe, with a long, glittery cape trailing behind him. "Before I allow you to complete your quest, I have one last riddle."**

**"Oh, sweet!" Liorah clasped her hands together. "I love riddles!"**

**"Not these you won't." Mollie assured her.**

**"If you solve my riddle, you can go back home and continue living your lives." Jareth stopped just in front of us. "However, failing to relinquish the correct answer means I place you all in my Labyrinth…forever…"**

"What?!" We shrieked in unison.

**"I know that may seem harsh, but it's only fair that I get paid a price for my services."**

**"Snakes, Oubliettes, and rivers. Some services." Labyrinthian rolled her eyes.**

**"There's no way I'm letting you make them miserable because of me." I told the King.**

**" 'Letting me'?" Jareth laughed. "Dear girl, I am King of the Underground. You don't honestly think that I take orders from _you_!"**

**"I have my crystal!" I announced confidently. "Whatever you do, I can use it's magic to send everyone home."**

**"And where do you suspect that magic in your pitiful necklace comes from?"**

**I felt my lips grow dry, and my cheeks turn warm. He was right. Without his power, I was helpless to defend myself and the others. The List was doomed if we didn't solve his last riddle.**

**"Don't listen to him," whispered Anony.**

**"How can I not?" I queried.**

**"Because we've made it this far." She smiled.**

**I slowly did the same. The Listians and I had almost conquered the entire adventure. And it would be no trouble finishing.**

**"Give us your riddle, Goblin King." I said definatly.**

**"Good luck. You'll need it:**

**_What does man love more than life_**

**_Hate more than death and mortal strife_**

**_That which contented men desire_**

**_The poor have, the rich require_**

**_The miser spends, the spend thrift saves_**

**_And all men carry to their graves?"_**

****

"That was very poetic," Northstar spoke softly, as if surprised.

**"Indeed," Jareth nodded. "You may begin."**

**"Men sometimes love women more than life." Commented Collin.**

**"Show me one—I'll take him." I told her bitterly.**

**"Happiness?" Guessed Michaellah. " 'The poor have, the rich require'."**

**"Nope." Daisy disagreed. "Why would men hate happiness more than death?"**

**"What's a 'spend thrift'?" Asked Anya curiosly.**

**"Someone who squanders their money all the time," replied Krys.**

**" 'All men carry to their graves'." Repeated Liorah. "Silence? A secret? I dunno."**

**"Well, a 'contented man is happy with his life." Raven said. "He's got everything; what more does he want?"**

**"Nothing." I shrugged.**

**"What did you say?" Stephanie asked.**

**"I said there's nothing a contented man wants."**

**Stephanie's eyes grew wide. "And a man carries nothing to his grave."**

**"The poor have nothing." Stated Wolfie, catching on.**

**"The rich require nothing!" Alex grinned.**

**"Libby, try it." Urged Labyrinthian.**

**With a deep breath I faced the King and said, "Nothing."**

**For an eternity we stood there, staring at him. Jareth turned the corners of his mouth upward; another smile. Only this one was unreadable. _No_, I thought nervously. _We truly are doomed._**

**"Congratulations, Libby Sarah. You and your friends have passed my test."**

**At first, we all stood perfectly still, as if not a one of us had heard right. Then, a long, joyful cry emerged quickly through the group. It was reminiscent of our first riddle solved, only with more smiling, jumping, hugging, and obviously, more people. Until—**

**"Wait!" Shouted Mollie. Festivities ceased. "What about our second half of the riddle?" Realization set in and we looked expectantly at the Goblin King.**

**"There is no second half." Jareth explained.**

**"Why not?" inquired Guenivere suspiciously.**

**"As with your previous riddles, the second halves related to your answers. As does this one. Since the answer was 'nothing', nothing happens."**

**"You're not sending us back now, are you?" I know my voice became pleading. The King grinned.**

"No, I've got something much better in mind. You see, I realize you've not rested and had food or drink for hours, and you've not had a safe journey…so I've prepared a ball."

Back  Chapter Eleven 

**Chapter Nine  Home**


	12. Chapter Eleven Something For Our Trouble

Chapter Eleven-Something For Our Trouble

**"A ball?" Fire Dstany repeated. "Music, dresses, dancing—a _ball_?"**

**"That would be the type, yes." Jareth laughed. "After all, you deserve it."**

He pulled a crystal from the air, and without so much as a warning, hurled the magical orb at us. I put my arms up, but swung them back down when I realized nothing had happened. Or had it?

**Looking around me, I saw all the List members wearing formal party gowns and small but intricate masks. A sophisticated orchestra was playing a beautiful waltz, and a few girls began to sway in time with it. Along the far wall was a long buffet table full of delicious-looking food, which nearly everyone was drooling over. Glitter was everywhere—this _was_ a ball. "There's one more surprise." Jareth announced. "Come forth, Lady Cheralyn."**

**My eyes nearly popped out as I stared at our long-gone, but never forgotten, Listian.**

**"Hey, guys!" Cheralyn greeted cheerily. "Did ya miss me?"**

**Her long, dark hair was pulled back in a braid with an intertwined gold ribbon. The silk dress she wore was brandy-colored and complimented the cast she wore on her left arm.**

**"Of course we missed you!" Northstar answered. "It just wasn't the same without you helping us solve those riddles and talking back to His Tightness!"**

**The lot of us had a good laugh—all except Jareth.**

**"Let's get this party started!" Cheralyn decreed.**

**Many of the Listians headed straight for the food. Others stayed off to the side to talk and laugh, sharing Labyrinth-related experiences now that we were no longer on a Labyrinth-related quest. And the last of the girls strolled to the dance floor. I giggled when I saw the looks on their faces as Jareth snapped his fingers and a few tall, mysterious male dancers joined them!**

**Cheralyn and I were the only ones not doing any those activities, so we took the time to catch up.**

**"You're in a good mood." I observed. "How's the arm?"**

**"Feels fine. Shouldn't move it a whole lot yet."**

**"What's everyone back home going to say?"**

**"My story is that I fell into an Oubliette." Cheralyn replied. We both chuckled.**

**"So, did Jareth take care of you?" I asked after the laughter died down.**

**"I ran him ragged." She beamed.**

**"You didn't!"**

**"Two words, Libby." Cheralyn motioned for me to come closer, then whispered, "Guilt trip."**

***                      *                      *                      *                      ***

Jareth had disappeared—literally—shortly after bringing Cheralyn back to us. Though, truth be told, many of the Listians had no complaints. Myself included.

Upon the King's return, he was clad in a purple-sequined vest over a white blouse, with matching white tights and black boots.

"Enjoying the ball, dear girl?" Jareth asked, surveying the scene. "Do try the punch."

"No, thank you. And yes, I am enjoying the ball. But I'm not that social of a person, so I've been sort of hiding out." I'd chosen a small wing behind the buffet to stand in. Since they'd eaten their fill, a few Listians only occasionally passed by the table to grab a snack, making it a good place to stay away.

"Have you been dancing yet?" The King sounded hopeful.

"Not much for dancing." I half-smiled.

"And you say you're enjoying yourself?" Jareth cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows.

"So I lied." I turned, taking a few steps away from him. "Do you know what a social outcast is, Jareth. You have those here, Underground?"

"You are among friends." He pointed out.

"Oh, I've said my formal hellos and said a little about how things are going in my life right now, but I'm uncomfortable around people I don't know. It's the way I've always been…"

"From your e-mails, it sounds to me as if you know them all quite well."

"That's right; you read our posts." I feigned indignation.

"Yes." Jareth said slowly. "Apologies all around. Yet, again, I must say, these List members seem like they're great friends of yours. It's not as if they're complete strangers. They won't judge you, or ignore you. All the Listians share a passion for fantasy and adventure, and you're a fool if you don't take advantage of that."

I faced Jareth again and stared at him. His words got through to me; made sense. Stephanie, Daisy, Rhonda Wolfie—none of them 'knew' me the way people at school had 'known' me. Alex, Collin, and Krys would never pretend I didn't exist. Raven would never think I was a freak—well, not as anything but a Labyrinth Freak. Or Anya, or Liorah, or Tawnya. All of these people loved a movie I loved as well, and because of that, we were friends. The King was right.

"Jareth, I—"

"Would you care to dance, my Lady?" Jareth offered his arm. I smiled as I took it and we went out onto the dance floor.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *

The end of our grand party came much too soon. Before we knew it, we were hugging and saying our farewells.

"So long, Bug-Woman," Raven said as she waved to Stephanie. "Good luck with your theater production."

"If I even have the part anymore," Stephanie sighed.

"Fear not, Miss Faery," Jareth announced. "I shall return all of you to the same time and place at which you were uprooted."

Many a sigh of relief followed.

And so, one by one, my friends slowly faded away—their normal, Aboveground clothes returning. Once again, I was the only one left. Jareth smiled.

"How did you enjoy your quest?" he inquired.

"Aside from the poisonous animals, falling into a rather large hole, a rotting bridge, and so-called 'dangerous' liquids, it was fine."

"Just…fine?" The King again raised an eyebrow.

"Well…it was fun…and exciting, and—"

"You see; I knew you liked it." Jareth laughed.

"You never meant to put us in harm's way." I stated as if trying to convince myself. Jareth's laughter absolved immediately.

"Never was that the intention. It was all meant to be in good fun. The alleged 'danger' that you spoke of; I presented it only because I knew I could handle it. You and your kind are brave, dear girl."

"My 'kind'?" I repeated, confused.

"Listians." Jareth explained. "Those who view magic as a wonderful opportunity to explore more than just their world."

There was silence for a long moment before the King spoke again. "Would you care to stay behind? Momentarily, of course."

I considered the offer—honestly toyed with the idea of hanging around. Maybe stay a spell and forget my worldly problems. There was no pressure; I wasn't Sarah who had to save her brother within a time limit. But I wanted to go back, and the King knew. He smiled half-heartedly and pulled a crystal from the air. "The offer still stands."

Before the ballroom began to fade, I half-smiled as well.

"I know."

Back  Chapter Twelve

Chapter Ten  Home


	13. Chapter Twelve Home Again, Home Again

Chapter Twelve-Home Again, Home Again

_To market, to market_

**_To buy a fat hog_**

**_Home again, home again_**

**_Jiggity-jog_******

**Opening my eyes, I first saw the clutter in my dad's computer room. Then the white, blaring computer screen.**

**I shifted upward in the comfortable tan chair and stretched. I was home.**

**Spying the open web page on the monitor, my eyes grew wide. A hundred new messages!**

**Clicking on the link that would soon bring me into my mailbox, I saw a thread—started by none other than The Biting Faery—entitled _A Listian Adventure_.**

**Stephanie wrote her thanks; she loved the ball and promised to recite our riddles to her friends. Raven told Stephanie she was glad to have met her, however, that didn't mean she'd cut Bug-Woman any slack. Cheralyn was the only disappointed one. Her arm had healed instantly…**

**With a laugh, I read all one hundred messages, with ever more coming in. For the most part, everyone had enjoyed our journey. We'd all gotten back safely, and one more Labyrinth-related experience was eagerly added to the books.**

Then an e-mail came in from and address I'd never seen before. At first I thought it was a newbie, wondering what we were talking about. Or maybe some dumb spam again. But clicking on it proved me wrong:

**Dear Libby,**

**Your bravery and perseverance never fail to amaze me. If your belief in **

**magic and fantasy were but a fraction of what it is, all would be for naught.**

**Be well, dear girl. Remember always this day, as well as my offer.******

Jareth 

**And I vowed I would.**

Back  Chapter Eleven Home 


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